On January 5, Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill called for a ceasefire in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict over the Christmas holidays. Later, Vladimir Putin ordered his forces to enforce a ceasefire in Ukraine from January 6 at noon until January 7 at midnight. A decision, widely perceived as a publicity stunt, which should allow those who want it “to attend services on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day”according to the words of the head of the Kremlin.
An “out of the box” party.
In fact, the Orthodox Churches, as in Russia, but also some Catholic Churches of the Eastern rite celebrate the Nativity of Christ on January 7 (according to the Gregorian calendar), which corresponds to December 25 of the Julian calendar, kept by some Orthodox Churches.
How is Christmas in Russia? Many Russians have got into the habit of meeting on the last evening of the year to celebrate Christmas with their families. By way of explanation, it is necessary to go back to the time of the Soviet Union. During this period, in fact, all religions and therefore all celebrations were officially banned by the communist regime. New Year’s Eve has therefore long been the end-of-year family reunion for Russians. Despite the fall of the Soviet regime in 1991, the tradition continues today.
Decline in religious practice
Most Russians are used to celebrating Christmas on these two dates. However, the religious dimension is less significant. As pointed out, on Twitter, researcher Anna Colin Lebedev, professor at the University of Paris Nanterre, “If the citizens of the Russian Federation declare themselves Orthodox by a very large majority, very few of them have a religious practice. » For example, only 8% of Russians go to church at least once a month, according to a May 2022 survey. “Christmas is not a particularly celebrated holiday in Russia, unlike Easter”. In fact, most of the festivities take place on this date “secular” of 31 December. It is at this time that families meet and exchange gifts.
Conversely, the dates of January 6, for Christmas Eve, and January 7, for the feast of the Nativity, are above all the period of religious celebrations for the practicing Orthodox. Traditionally, a prayer vigil is held during the night between the two days. Some state channels also broadcast the divine liturgy in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow, razed to the ground by Stalin and rebuilt identically in 2000.
holidays
Apart from the different celebrations, this period is also the longest holiday period for Russians: generally between December 31st and January 10th. Schools, for example, are closed in these few days. Shortly before going on holiday, pupils are traditionally visited by Russian Santa Claus, called ‘Ded Moroz’ in Slavic, and his granddaughter Snegourochka (the ‘Snow Maiden’ in French). The latter is one of the most popular figures in Russian folklore. Many shows and concerts are usually organized during this festive period. Period when the Russians used to taste the “Napoleonic cake”, a kind of millefeuille covered with icing sugar, to commemorate the Russian victory over the French emperor during the campaign of 1812.
